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San Diego teen diagnosed with bacterial meningitis

Posted at 10:12 PM, Feb 26, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-28 06:26:18-05

SAN DIEGO - A 13-year-old Tierrasanta, California boy is battling for his life after family members say he was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis.

A week ago Sunday, Grant Eyles started throwing up while his mother drove him and his siblings back from Los Angeles.  He quickly developed a fever, but didn't get worse until Thursday, when he lost mobility on his right side and became confused.

His mother said a battery of tests pointed to bacterial meningitis, where membranes around the brain and spinal cord become inflamed, and it started with a common ailment.

"It was a complication essentially from a sinus infection. The infection breached the sinus cavity and went into the brain," said family friend Vanessa Bredehoft.

Over the weekend, seizures forced doctors to place Grant in a medically induced coma.  Grant remains in critical condition.

County health officials say many strains of bacterial meningitis do not require an alert for person-to-person prevention, and this appears to be one of those cases.

A Gofundme campaign has been set up to help with the family's expenses.